Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-162784 (Patent Literature 1) has disclosed a smear preparing apparatus including a fan and a cassette transportation part for transporting a cassette with microscope slides inserted therein. In the cassette, microscope slides with a sample smeared thereon are inserted. The cassette includes an insertion opening at an upper end portion for inserting the microscope slides from above. The fan is provided for drying the microscope slides inserted in the cassette.
In the smear preparing apparatus in Patent Literature 1, there has been a problem that it takes time to dry the microscope slides.